Pongal is primarily a festival that is celebrated down South however it is increasingly gaining popularity with the other castes as well as sects of India and thus it has sort of acquired a cosmopolitan feel. This is also the time when some of the best of dishes from South India can be relished during the Pongal festival and is seriously a gastronomical delight. To help in with the participation of Pongal and also joyfully enjoy and relish the festival, several delightful traditional cuisines come in handy. Ven Pongal is one of the most popular dishes that you can savor during this festive season and it's pretty easy to prepare as well. It tastes wonderful and at the same time doesn't take up much time or effort. Ven Pongal is a purely traditional dish that can be consumed by pure vegetarians since it is devoid of any non-vegetarian element.
The ingredients of this item include a cup of rice, a quarter cup of Moong Dal, powdered black pepper, one table spoon of Zeera Powder, a tea spoon of ginger paste, one table spoon dry Sukku, a tea spoon of Heeng, cashew for the garnishing purpose, 6 Cups of water and salt. To make Ven Pongal you have to wash both the rice and dal together and then drain nicely and later a table spoon of ghee is added in the Rice cooker. After this add rice and dal. This complete stuff has to be fried till the ghee coats the mixture. Later water is added, covered and cooked. The water level has to be repeatedly checked and stirred in frequent intervals so as to avoid its tendency to stick to bottom. Later after the rice is fully mashed it is garnished with cashews.
